Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2010-11: Dylan Labbe made his debut in the Quebec midget AAA league — playing three games for the Levis Commandeurs — and skated for the Beauce-Amiante Elites. He had no points with 4 penalty minutes in his brief stint with Levis. Labbe was selected by Shawinigan in the fourth round (71st overall) in the 2011 QMJHL Entry Draft.

2011-12: Labbe appeared in six games for Shawinigan during the regular season in three separate two-game stints and was with the Cataractes for the QMJHL playoffs after skating in Quebec AAA midget hockey with Levis. He appeared in a pair of games in September, re-joined Shawinigan for a two-game road trip in December and played in two March games – finishing +2 with no points and 7 penalty minutes. The Cataractes finished first in the East Division and reached the second round in the playoffs. Labbe played in 4 of 7 playoff games and was +2 with 1 assist and no penalty minutes. In 42 midget games with the Commandeurs (including four playoff games) he scored 13 goals with 12 assists and had 30 penalty minutes.

2012-13: Labbe played in 61 games for Shawinigan in his first full QMJHL season and scored a goal for Canada’s U18 team in pre-tournament play – though he was not on the final roster for the 2013 World Junior Championship. In an otherwise forgettable season in which Shawinigan won just 15 games and finished last in the East Division, he scored 7 goals with 21 assists and was -40 with 57 penalty minutes. Labbe travelled to Sochi, Russia with Canada’s team and scored the only goal in a 4-1 pre-tournament loss to USA. However, he was injured and left off Canada’s roster as the team went on to win the gold medal. Labbe was ranked 74th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings and was selected by Minnesota in the fourth round (107th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft.

2013-14: Labbe attended NHL training camp with the Wild before returning to Shawinigan for his second season. He made his pro debut at the end of March with Minnesota AHL affiliate Iowa following his junior season. Labbe scored 1 goal with 2 assists and was minus-3 with 4 penalty minutes in 11 AHL games with Iowa. He scored 9 goals with 18 assists and was -33 with 20 penalty minutes in 63 regular season games for Shawinigan. The Cataractes finished last in the East Division but received the final playoff berth despite winning just 20 games. Labbe was scoreless and -2 with 3 penalty minutes in three playoff games as Shawinigan was swept by Baie-Comeau in a first round series.

2014-15: Labbe once again finished the year with the Iowa Wild, skating in three games on an amateur tryout contract following his third QMJHL season with Shawinigan. He was -3 with no points nor penalties with the Wild. Labbe scored 15 goals with 36 assists and was +10 with 43 penalty minutes in 63 regular season games for the Cataractes. Shawinigan finished third in the East Division, falling to Halifax in a seven-game first-round series. Labbe scored 1 goal with 7 assists and was +1 with 15 penalty minutes in seven playoff games. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild in April 2015.

2015-16: Labbe worked to earn a spot in the lineup for the AHL’s Iowa Wild in his first pro season. Skating in 54 of 76 games, he scored 4 goals with 2 and was -7 with 50 penalty minutes. The Wild finished last in the Central Division, missing the playoffs.

Talent Analysis

Labbe is a gritty defender who takes care of business in his own zone first and isn't afraid to get his nose dirty while he's doing it. With great skating ability and good size, he can play plenty of minutes and is capable of shutting down the opposition's top lines. He has shown some offensive inclinations as his mobility allows him to join the rush and he can make a good first pass out of the zone.

Future

Labbe skated for Minnesota AHL affiliate Iowa in 2015-16, battling to stay in the lineup as a 20-year-old in his first pro season. An offensive threat from the blueline during his junior career, Labbe's main focus as a rookie was improving his defensive play. He also accumulated 50 penalty minutes, the most since his first season in the QMJHL. The experience gained this season should benefit him in the future but expectations have been tempered a bit as far as his scoring potential.

Photo: Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba graduated as a prospect this season and has played a big role in his team’s success thus far (courtesy of Brad Rempel/Icon Sportswire)

This has not been a great year of the prospect for the Minnesota Wild. The team arrived at a point in its process where it became ready to compete for the Stanley Cup. This has been somewhat to the detriment of its prospect pool, although any fan will take the tradeoff. Nonetheless, Hockey’s Future makes an annual tradition of handing out some imaginary hardware to players who stood out during the course of their seasons.

In this week’s playoff edition of Prospect Faceoff, all three CHL leagues have series that are facing pivotal fifth games. Meanwhile, with the NCAA on hiatus, there’s a strong NAHL matchup featuring two college recruits worth keeping an eye on. Also, the SHL’s juggernaut squad in Skelleftea may have an opportunity this weekend to advance to the finals with one more win, but a top prospect for a rival will have something to say about that. Read more»

For any organization dedicated to the near-term goal of a Stanley Cup, having the bulk of the team’s prospects in colleges or European leagues is sound policy. The young men get their chances to grow as people, the team’s contract status is unaffected, and there is less rush to decide on a player’s future. The pressures of pro hockey in Europe are real, especially for younger players, but so is the NCAA Tournament atmosphere. Both make for excellent developmental opportunities.

If the Minnesota Wild should fail to qualify for the post-season, a lack of organizational depth is a key culprit. With Erik Haula, Jordan Schroeder, Darcy Kuemper and Jason Zucker all graduated since the last Top 20, the depth chart looks as thin as it has been since spring 2010. Some questionable calls around the 2011 draft, plus the picks and assets traded away for Jason Pominville and Matt Moulson, hampered the team’s ability to acquire elite talent. There are some promising young players, but not many from this list will be suiting up in St. Paul next season. Restocking prospect depth the team lost out on in recent years is something the Wild needs to explore.

Photo: The Wild used their first draft pick on a defenseman for the third straight year with the selection of Gustav Olofsson at 46th overall (courtesy of Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Wild's big free agent signings last season may have dented the scouting budget. The Wild stayed pretty close to home this year, not drafting a player out of Europe for the first time in team history. The scouting staff did travel coast to coast in Canada with a studied focus on defense and size, but with an implicit directive of taking the long view with this draft class. Several of these players will be playing at the NCAA level next year and keeping tabs will mean a two hour drive rather than an eight hour flight. It also means that all of these players remain two years away from consideration at the professional level. All in all, it was quite an unspectacular draft that will take much patience to assess properly.